ABOUT SCHOOL SYNERGY, LLC

School Synergy provides schools, districts, and states with the high-quality, customized research, consultation, and services needed to address today’s educational challenges. We focus on improving school systems to improve student achievement through:

Dissemination and application of quantitative educational research

Support and guidance to schools in selecting, designing and delivering targeted and effective school improvement strategies

Evaluation and analysis of school system performance data

Benchmarking school and district performance to research-based indicators supported by effective schools research

Planning and consultation in the identification of school improvement goals and actions to yield the highest gains in student learning and performance

Design of high quality professional development aligned directly with student needs as demonstrated by school or district data

Design of research-based instructional programs aligned with state academic standards

Founding Partners School Synergy provides school leaders with the information, assistance and expertise needed to meet today’s school challenges. School Synergy’s founding partners Dawn Billings and Mardale Dunsworth have the broad educational background and expertise to help you meet your school improvement, professional development and accountability system goals. Your satisfaction is our commitment to you.

Dawn Billings has 25 years of educational and administrative experience in curriculum and instruction, professional development, policy development and implementation and school administration. Dawn is a founding Partner of School Synergy, an educational research and consulting firm that assists schools, districts and states in improvement related issues including benchmarking school and district performance to international standards, school improvement, program development and evaluation, leadership consulting, curriculum alignment, professional development, teacher recruitment and retention and equity. Dawn is co-author of “The High Performing School: Benchmarking the 10 Indicators of Effectiveness” (2009). Beginning with an in-depth review of the last 20 years of educational research, The High Performing School describes the successful and innovative benchmarking system School Synergy has employed over the past decade to accelerate student learning in schools across the nation.

Dawn served for three years as Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Washington. Here she was responsible for statewide professional development; including multi-day research-based professional development conferences attended by more than 9,000 educators annually. Additionally, Dawn supervised Title II – Teacher and Principal Quality, National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and the Learning and Teaching Technology Offices. She led the design and development of Washington State Professional Development Standards which provided the research base for Washington’s school and district efforts in professional development.

Prior to her work in Washington, Dawn served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction with the Oregon Department of Education. She led the development of the grade level content standards, services to low performing schools and was Director of Title II, Reading First, Reading Excellence and Charter Schools federal grant programs. Dawn has extensive experience with state and federal legislation including providing testimony, working with legislative teams and legislative staff, budget preparation and policy analysis. She has taught middle and high schools in urban and rural school districts and held a variety of administrative positions in public education, and business and industry. Dawn has a BS in Education and a MS in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction.

Mardale Dunsworth has 15 years of educational and administrative experience in school improvement, policy development and implementation, and data system design and deployment. Mardale is a founding Partner of School Synergy, an educational research and consulting firm that assists schools, districts and states in improvement related issues including benchmarking school and district performance to international standards, school improvement, program development and evaluation, leadership consulting, curriculum alignment, professional development, teacher recruitment and retention and equity. Mardale is co-author of “The High Performing School: Benchmarking the 10 Indicators of Effectiveness” (2009). Beginning with an in-depth review of the last 20 years of educational research, The High Performing School describes the successful and innovative benchmarking system School Synergy has employed over the past decade to accelerate student learning in schools across the nation.

Prior to her work with School Synergy Mardale served as Director of Professional Development for Washington State where she led the development of an innovative web-based statewide professional development and certification system including the design and creation of a fully on-line licensing process, an events registration site and a centralized registry for high quality professional development that connects school improvement planning and professional growth planning for teachers.

Mardale served as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Technical Education at the Oregon Department of Education. Here she led the teams that provided assistance to low performing schools. Mardale was the Director of Oregon’s Reading First program, Goals 2000, and Title II federal grant programs and in 2001 oversaw the development of Oregon’s Teacher Quality and Paraprofessional requirements and data collection system. Mardale led the team that developed the first Oregon Report Card and created a fair, valid and reliable rating system for every school and district in the state. Mardale has a BA in Public Policy and Administration and a MS in Education: Curriculum and Instruction.

About School Synergy Associates
School Synergy calls on select individuals with proven track records of success and strong education and leadership backgrounds to provide additional staffing when larger teams or expanded expertise are required.